Thirty-five years ago, Taco Cabana opened its first restaurant in Midtown San Antonio. Soon, that original location will be the center of attention as Taco Cabana celebrates 35 years as the “Original Mexican Patio Café” and the grand re-opening of its newly remodeled first location.
To...

The fast-casual category has been the fastest-growing restaurant segment over the past two years, according to market research firm Technomic, as operators in the category continue to effectively balance higher-quality, convenient foods with a more upscale environment.
This success has come even as...

Take-and-bake pizza chain Papa Murphy’s is on the search for a way to create a stronger brand image, and it’s doing just that with its new CREATE store design.
The new restaurant model puts a spotlight on both personalization and transparency—literally—with an open kitchen layout that lets guests...

After years of working in the furniture industry and spending time owning, operating, and eventually selling his stores, Paul Childers entered the quick-serve world in 2009 when a hot tip from a good friend turned Childers on to a new pizza concept called Your Pie.
Today, Childers’s two franchised...

In the quick-service industry, the path to success is straightforward: offering good-tasting, quality food prepared quickly in a clean and courteous environment. Companies that focus on the fundamentals of meeting these needs—hiring the right people, emphasizing teamwork, and meeting the evolving...

Chipotle Mexican Grill launched “The Scarecrow,” an arcade-style adventure game for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, along with a companion animated short film of the same name.
Both the game and the film depict a scarecrow’s journey to bring wholesome food back to the people by providing an...

Quick-service operators are launching seasonal menu items earlier this fall in an effort to beat their competition to the punch. From pumpkin doughnuts to caramel apple frozen yogurt, fall-flavored menu items are popping up across the industry even before the season has officially begun.
“We...

Two Madres Mexican Kitchen, the latest concept by the Galardi Group, offering a fresh and healthy twist on traditional Mexican food, announced the opening of its first fast-casual restaurant located in Mission Viejo, California.
With an emphasis on bold flavor profiles and customizable options, Two...

Before the burrito was big, both in size and popularity, I remember my friends and I always going to get Mexican cuisine in Chicago. We would seek out places around the city, even going to more nontraditional areas around town, but we loved it; the more authentic, the better. I remember thinking...

This February, Pieology Pizza became the latest restaurant to form a partnership with Daiya vegan cheese, which has become a staple on the menu at many fast-casual pizza chains, including Uncle Maddio’s and Blaze Pizza.

As demand for dairy- and gluten-free products grows, Daiya is hoping...

This month soft-serve monarch Dairy Queen turns 75. At its 10th anniversary, the company boasted more than 1,000 open and planned stores. Today, Dairy Queen counts more than 6,000 locations across 20 countries.

Consumers looking over menuboards at their favorite quick-serve restaurants are going to notice some changes in 2015, as the calorie-labeling mandate that was created in 2010 as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was finalized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in...

After years of steady growth, Krispy Kreme has ramped up its expansion. In February, the doughnut purveyor opened its 1,000th location in Kansas City, Kansas. Before the calendar year is up, it plans to open in six to eight new countries, mostly concentrated in the Asia-Pacific and...

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt is teaming up with The Hershey Company again to introduce a new Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup froyo in response to the high demand from chocolate and peanut butter lovers. This new flavor will be featured in more than 300 participating Orange Leaf locations from March 2 to...

Like much of the rest of the economy, the 2008 economic meltdown brought a massive slow-down to the quick-service franchise industry. The combination of tightfisted money lenders and general economic uncertainty put franchise businesses in a near impossible position when it came to accessing...

What can I possibly tell you about potatoes, dear quick-serve industry professional, that you don’t already know? It’s not as though you’re unacquainted with America’s favorite starch. You may even know that it’s the world’s fourth-largest food crop, trailing behind only rice, corn, and wheat,...

What can I possibly tell you about potatoes, dear quick-serve industry professional, that you don’t already know? It’s not as though you’re unacquainted with America’s favorite starch. You may even know that it’s the world’s fourth-largest food crop, trailing behind only rice, corn, and wheat,...

While the fast-casual category continues to be the fastest-growing industry sector, the road in 2015 will be bumpy. We will see constant change and challenges around every corner. For industry leaders, there are issues that will keep even the most seasoned executive awake at night.
Here is my top...

When Lori Newcomb found out she had stage III ovarian cancer last year, she made it her mission to learn more about the disease and help other women fighting the same battle. She sat down with her husband, Chris Newcomb, cofounder and CEO of Southern quick-service chain Newk’s Eatery, and together...

Having started as a sandwich maker with Subway when he was 18 years old, Gurpreet Singh has spent nearly half his life in the quick-service industry. Now a Checkers franchisee, Singh has spent time in every quick-serve job imaginable: line worker, manager, general manager, and, today, franchisee....